Performance comparison of SDN OpenFlow controllers

Software defined networking (SDN) is the centralised network management technology that could reduce the network administration and policy enforcement overhead in the traditional IP networking. SDN controller is the network operating system responsible for entire network operations. However, there are many open source controllers available, such as NOX, POX, FloodLight and OpenDaylight. Each controller has its own properties that could support specific requirements. In this paper, we have compared the performance of most familiar OpenFlow controllers like NOX, POX, Ryu, FloodLight and OpenFlow reference controller based on their packet handling capacity, by varying the packet size, number of packets and arrival pattern in the IP traffic flows. Distributed internet traffic flow generator (D-ITG) tool has been used to measure the performance in terms of delay, jitter, throughput and packet loss. Our experimentation results show that, FloodLight has the better throughput and less delay when compared to other controllers. This work substantiates the researcher in choosing the appropriate controller for their requirements.